A Wonderful Week

               Like the rest of the country, we have been restricted from visiting family and friends for the past year or so. One of the things I missed most was my grandson who was only around 5 months old when I saw him last. This was a constant ache in my side!

                Zoom meetings are great but as I’m sure you know, IT JUST AIN’T THE SAME!

                Ann Marie and I were both vaccinated and so were his parents, Chelsey and Jaime. After our two week safety period had passed, AMB and I were on the road. Heading across the state to see Mateo! (and his parents…)

                I wasn’t sure how he would react to me, a flat face he had been seeing on a smart phone or lap top. I shouldn’t have worried. He was open to us as soon as he saw us! I imagine he was just as starved for human contact as everyone else!

                We played with my notebook and pen first. I let him draw in it and both of us were happy! Then he discovered my watch. When he pushed the stem, the dial would illuminate. (Plus I made a funny (?) sound…well, he thought it was funny and that’s what’s important!)

I showed him my camera and how it worked. (You’re never too young to learn old technologies!) He looked a little puzzled, “Don’t pictures come from your phone?”

                Over the next couple days we read books and we told each other stories. We built things with his blocks and played with his stuffed animals. He showed me how to cut the grass. We laughed a lot!

We explored the near-by cement overflow structure and discovered if you bang on the grates with a rock, it makes a ringing sound. (Won’t Mom be proud?)

We watched movies, he helped his Mom cook lunch and I took lots of pictures. The days sped by!

                I don’t want you to think that we ignored Chelsey and Jaime while we were there, far from it. I missed seeing them also. It did my heart good to sit and talk with them, to catch up on all the things that have changed in their lives since we last were together. It made me so proud to see what great parents they are and how well they are raising their child.

Before long it was time to go and we packed the car and said our good-byes. With every fantastic memory there always seems to be something sad included. I hated to leave! It is tough leaving the ones you love!

                We left Sunday morning and spent the day driving to New Hampshire to visit with Jim Clark. It was a long drive but it was worth it! Sitting in Jim’s living room we talked about “the good old days” and our thoughts about the future. We talked about Pam, his wife who had recently died. Even though she wasn’t there bodily, she was definitely there in spirit. She is a part of Jim; I’ve only known the two of them as a pair, a couple. I really miss her.

Jim was watching the neighbor’s chickens while they were away.  We picked eggs after we fed them. Do you have any idea how many eggs 26 chickens lay a day? (LOTS!) Do you have any idea how difficult it is to count 26 moving hens? The morning count was easy; I’d count them as they walked up the ramp and out the door. It wasn’t as easy when they were rushing to get back in or scattered around the feeding trough.

 I made friends with ZoZo, the farm dog. He has to be the friendliest dog I’ve ever met. I took a walk around the pasture and into the woods, he would follow close by, coming at a run any time I’d call him. He was happy to be outside and running around but still he stayed near-by. Oh, how I wish Red had been like that!

                All too soon it was time to get ready for our return journey. I got up early and went outside to watch the International Space Station pass almost directly overhead. It started its flight in the west beside the full moon and disappeared into the brightening dawn behind me.

                Even though the moon was full, a Super Moon no less, I could still see more stars than a dark night in Glenshaw. The weather and the scenery in New Hampshire and Vermont were spectacular, but the best thing about this part of the trip was seeing Jim again. You just can’t beat the feelings you get with close friends!

                It was a long trip back, a little over 11 hours total. Surprisingly it was one of the fastest trips I’ve taken there or back! The weather was wonderful, the temperatures were in the 80’s and almost all the way across the mountains of Vermont, we chased a rainbow! It was just that kinda trip!

                Now we are back, the “real” life begins again. But we are both renewed. Refueled, ready to tackle the world and anything it might toss our way. Perfect weeks have a way of doing that!

Borders, Bridges, Birds and Beers

 4.10.2021

The Washington County side of the marker

                On my way into work I pass a couple stone markers. Sitting beside the road, showing obvious signs of age, they mark the line between Allegheny and Washington Counties. They got me thinking about whether there were any others around.

                On following days, I was extra careful in watching for any others. I checked some maps and drove down a couple roads which crossed the county line. Other than the occasional “modern day” signs made out of metal, I saw or found nothing.

                While pursuing my Gazetteer I saw a spot where Allegheny, Beaver and Washington Counties all connect. It looked like a future road trip to me. The future came on Saturday.

                We headed west towards “the spot”.  Soon we started seeing detour signs warning that the road was closed ahead.  We figured we would go as far as we could and deal with the detour when we got to it. It couldn’t have turned out better. The road was closed just past the road we were going to take!

                A mile or two past the road blockage we came to the small community of Murdocksville. The maps show the county lines coming together at a road intersection just before a bridge crossing Raccoon creek.  We pulled over and got out to look around.

                The bridge was new, as far as Pennsylvania bridges go. We could see where the dirt surrounding it had been moved and reshaped. Looking in the woods we saw no marker or anything possibly concerning the county lines. Crossing the bridge we found a historical marker which told about a grist mill that once stood near-by.

                The White Grist Mill once sat beside Raccoon creek, using the water to power the mill. Later it was converted to steam. From where we stood by the bridge, all remnants of the mill and the dam that once stood here were gone. We didn’t want to go onto the property beside the stream since it was someone’s yard. The community was called White Mill and eventually was renamed Murdocksville after one of the residents.

A possible monument base?

                Across the street from the sign was a stone pedestal covered by a bush. I wish I had looked at it closer, it might have been where a marker once stood. The wall it was connected to bordered another yard and it wasn’t until I had looked at the photos that I realized what it might have been. Next trip I guess… For now, as far as I’m concerned, that’s where the counties meet.

                Looking at our Gazetteer, (everyone should have one in their car!) we saw that we were fairly close to a covered bridge. This small icon on the map is what took us on our next leg of the journey. Even though we had a detailed map of the area, we still managed to miss it. I always say, “What’s a good trip without getting lost once or twice?”

                We ended up at a small brewery/greenhouse. We stopped and asked a woman standing outside of it where the covered bridge was. She gave us good directions and then said to stop back and have a beer after we found it. We decided that now was as good as later. The Coal Tipple Brewery had a couple picnic tables sitting under a porch roof, some potted plants in the yard for sale and a small fire burning in a burn ring. It looked ideal for a short break.

                Putting on our masks we went inside and bought a couple glasses of fresh, dark stout. We went out to the porch and sat down near the fire ring. Light smoke made the air smell good and the warm temperatures made it perfect for sitting outside and enjoy a freshly brewed beer.

                With our thirsts satiated, we returned to our quest for the elusive covered bridge. Nearly there we passed a dirt road that had a Bridge Closed sign at its end. We turned down it to see what was there. The road went down a hillside into the valley. Steep drop offs were on my side, the stream and woods spread out below. On the ride down, a brown tailed hawk flew over the car and into the woods, close enough to allow us to see the beautiful patterns on its wings and back. It was gone just as quickly as it appeared.  We also saw a Piliated Woodpecker as we neared the bottom of the hillside. It perched on a tree long enough for us both to see it and to appreciate how huge it was. This is the largest type of woodpecker, some being close to 20” long! Its bright red crest is what caught our eye first, then its size. It flew off towards the stream before I could stop the car.

Raccoon Creek Rd. Bridge

                The road ended at the bridge. Large piles of dirt blocked access to it by car. It was an old metal bridge with a wooden floor. I would have no qualms about crossing it if the dirt wasn’t there. There were a couple kinks in the beams, whether from accidents or metal stress I don’t know. Rust was working on the beams also so perhaps it was best that the dirt piles kept the car off it!

                It was nice and quiet in the valley, the only sounds being the water flowing by and some birds chirping. The sounds were soft and quiet, hardly noticeable at all. Skunk cabbage could be seen pushing its sprouts up through the moist dirt all around us. Spring was well upon us!

Lyle Covered Bridge

                After some photos we returned to the “main” road and our quest for the covered bridge. A half mile further and we came to the bridge. Painted red it sat in a picturesque setting. After a couple pictures we returned to the car and following the road we were on, headed in the general direction of home. We weren’t sure exactly where we were but we figured we’d come to a road we knew or recognized soon enough. That is exactly what happened and another hour later we were back home again.

                We hadn’t found any stone markers but we really didn’t complain. Our journey took us through three counties, showed us some history, a refreshing taste of fresh beer, some beautiful birds and a couple bridges. Not bad for a four hour trip on a nice day!